Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-09-09
R0BBING IMMIGRANTS.
How ahe Railroads and Jsstle Garden I'm
pIuye5 ThrtvD by ShrswCiuCss


pluyeS Thrivn by ShrswdnCss
Chicago eraId.
The ti-eIess and courageous work OF >
New York newspaper has borne fruit in
the pending investigation, by au agent Of
the Treasury Department, CT the imml-
grafton commissioners at New York.
Some testimony has already been heard
and much more is promised o. the same
sort, the whole msIing out . prims faCIe
case Ct corrup.iC1 the most outrageous
Even in this day and administration of
Official reform and the explosion Ofpublic
scandals q more revolving spectacle of
nslfessanCe in Office than tnat st Castle
Garden has not been held up to public
view. The commissioners business Is
TO Gaze for the newly arrived immi-
grants, protect them from rap3ClOus
tradesmen ard shaTpers, afford them tenn
porary shelter and assist them on their
Jourrey TO the interior. No class Of peO-
PIE stand in -rester need OF such services.
PEASANTS, for the most part, unskilled in
the ways OF Citiee, many of them entirely
with the English language,
they STRIVE st Castle Garden after the
tatl@ues Q, q Storage passage, wesk, dis
t1aught ana nearly il not quite helpless
None Of them is rich and some are very
poor. OF -aeir little store OF ready cash
they have pressing need for every penny.
So that they are st once the
easiest prey to rap2City auG of all per
son, the iesst sble TO sustain loss The
honor Of the country demands protection
for these people. They are, in certain
seuse, the cOuntry's guests, the poor and
helpless strangers ct the gate. ExCep-
tiOnal cases Of pEupeTism sld incapacity
aside, tley do honor to the country
whose shores they seek and become SC
tive and powerful, factors in It's wealth.
They ere foreigners, but they beget Amer
leans. What honor demanded of the
country self-interest also prompted, 8nd
the commission was appointed to see 10
it th5t 70 harm came TO these strangers.
From the published testimony it is ap-
parent that these officials left uLdone
nothing that could add to the enOrmity
OF their breach OF trust. Under their ma
nip !latiOn the commission would seem
to nave become q machine for the en-
Ticlment OF the commission by the sDolia-
ton of the immigrants pool was
i0tmed under which the immigrants were
parCeleG out TO the different roads lead
in- to the west, with no regard for their
own preferences, and at an exOrbitant
rate, which, in the absence of Competi-
lion was easily maintained. The New
York Central, the Pennsylvania, the West
Shore, the Baltimore ind Ohio, and the
Ontario and Western are named IS par
ties TO this disreputa0le bargain. An
agent Of the commission sold
sill the tickets and it may be
presumed, saw to it that neither him
self nor mis- principals were losers by the
transaction. Nor WGs this ell. The care
and keeping Of the immigrants at New
York were erected into various "priVi-
leges," which were peddled out TO men
who had no care save 10 enrich them
selves The bread stand was held a.
$4,000 year Dy one man, who reCouped
for his heavy rental by charging the immi-
grants 80 cents for 10 cents worth Of
luncheon. The money exchange was sold
10 brace Of fellows who turned thrifty
pennies by charging prePosterous rates
for changing foreign money into Ameri-
can. SO with everything, doTn even 70
the rates for excess of baggage, which
were N some cases so Glerous IS to
make the transportation CT Tie property :
thing Ct doubtful policy.
The immediate occasion OF the present
Investigation was an alleged assault upon
8 woman immigrant by G1e Of the CON
mlssloners' employees. Secretary Fair
child, in pushing his inquiries, Eas in
Cured the enmlty of the wing which thus
far has dominated Castle Garden; nor do
these fellows lack the support OF rascrup-
ulCus newspapers, WhO affect to see moth
inc IN the SeCretary's order but bid on
behalf OF the administration fer popular
favor. Bat Mr. Fa!rchild and the admin
.stration, too, can well afford to endure
criticism of this sort so long as the pros
pec. remains of righting a crest wrong.